Dark Reel
2008
Built around what was supposedly a real murder
of an actress in 1958, this horror thriller set in modern times has a lot
going for it, including well-known names like Edward Furlong and Lance
Henriksen, and one of my favorite B-movie babes, Tiffany Shepis, playing
... what else, a Hollywood Scream Queen. It even released on Blu-ray,
normally a sign that the movie is better than B-quality. Unfortunately,
they snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory in this horrid attempt.
The movie begins in 1958 (and in black and
white), as actress Scarlett May is murdered and dismembered during a
screen test, and the crime is filmed in its entirety.
Jumping to the present, scream queen Cassie
Blue (Tiffany Shepis) is in production of the movie Pirate Wench, and
B-movie fanatic Adam Waltz (Edward Furlong) has won a one-line walk-on
part in a contest. As the production continues, one then another actress
from the cast is murdered and dismembered, and references to the 1958
murder are found at the crime scene. What is the connection?
Yeah, it sounds like typical B-movie horror,
and it could have been fun, but a really dismal script, attempting to be
campy and clever but winding up lame and dumb, killed any chance of this
movie being even B grade. The first hour was so boring I almost quit it
several times, and even when the action heated up to an easily deduced
conclusion, it wasn't much. Good casts don't guarantee good movies, and
this one really blows.
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Tiffany Shepis |
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